


The Smell of Rain

by linda9128



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Has some mentions of pedophilia (trigger warning I guess?), Legit it the slowest burn, M/M, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, going by pregame appearances, they hate each other at first
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-06-16 03:49:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15428385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/linda9128/pseuds/linda9128
Summary: Kiibo is emotionless at creation, but then a boy comes along and twists his way of viewing life. You see, he was designed to fit in, and interact with human beings. Not Ouma Kokichi. Slowly, he will learn that there is more to life than what meets the eye, and what it means to truly be human. In turn, Ouma will learn to soften his cruel ways, and accept that being vulnerable is ok once in a while.





	1. The Sound of Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The start of a whole new definition of friendship, soaked in rain.
> 
> Monday.

On that day, I saw you,

Under the sky of clouds.

Pitter patter, goes the rain,

Soaking my heart.

_________________________

 

It was raining. It always was at this time if year. It’s not supposed to be rain season in summer, but alas, this happens every year. Rain, rain, rain, all day everyday. It's getting boring at this point. It's getting old. Soggy shoes, soggy socks, soggy hair and damp clothes. I'm sick of it. I'm tired and I just want to get home dry for once. Most students have already left already, and the few lingering students were helping out the teachers or studying at the library. I want to wait out the never ending storm, but at this point, it was just getting worse. The rain seemed to keep pouring, as if it wanted to waste my time. I was aggravated. Annoyed. The whole world just seemed to mock me. Whatever. Getting soaked again was just a drop in the bucket. I grit my teeth and stood, walking down the street to my house. Cold water trickled down my neck soaking my shirt underneath. It didn’t take long for it to heat though. Summer rains are always the worst. Too hot? Take off your wet jacket! Oops, now you’ve got a cold! Keep on? Now your entire body feels like a swamp! This sucks ass. The rain had the AUDACITY to evaporate as quickly as it fell, making it so that I could barely see in front of me. In of the thick layer of fog, a silhouette of a boy in the distance appeared. He was with a black umbrella shielding him from the cold, wet, rain. How lucky. He looked around my age. Average build, average height. He wore the same school uniform as me, though strangely enough, I had never seen him before. I walked up to him.

"Um... Excuse me... Can we share the umbrella?"

I was dripping wet, so I doubt he would want to be squished up against me. ... Something struck me odd. There was something off about him. His eyes were not human at all. It lacked the depth and life a human would have. Instead, in place of the “windows to the soul”, camera lenses darted back and forth behind another layer of shiny glass. His neck, from what I could see, Was entirely covered in some sort of black mesh. Tiny polished carbon hexagons were seamlessly linked together to form a honeycomb like pattern. Though our uniform has a high collar, so I can't see that well. He also had impossibly smooth, pale, almost grey, skin. No pores, not a single hair on his skin, and a head of platinum hair. Tucked under the school cap. Sudden realizations struck me hard.

"Wait... You’re - You're a robot?"

I took a small step back in surprise. It was hardly noticeable, or so I thought.

"Does that unsettle you?”

He stated, rather than asked.

“Huh. I didn’t realize it was 3045 already.”

“The correct term for humanoid robots is ‘androids’, and I assure you, it is not yet 3045. To answer your question, yes. I am an AI created by professor Idabashi, a robotics scientist. I am capable of learning and growing, much like you.”

He spoke as if it was pre recorded. He could have fooled most people into believing he was human, if not for the fact that his voice and expression was a blank slate.

A moment of silence passed as we locked eyes. He casually turned away and began to depart. I reached out to grab his wrist with my pruney fingers.

“Hey, you wouldn’t mind sharing an umbrella with me right?"

Silence. His soulless eyes stared down at me.

"Uh, my house is in the same direction as yours, and I'll leave as soon as our paths part. I don't want to walk in the rain today!"

I pleaded. I almost felt bad for myself. How pathetic. A second passed as he decided.

"...Alright."

His words were devoid of emotion as always. Kind of unsettling, but his tolerance was enough for me.

"Thank you!" I beamed at him. He smiled back, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Yeah that’s pretty unsettling.

I stared down at my drenched shoes as the sound of rainfall filled the silence between us. It was hot and humid, and disgustingly wet. Oh yeah, let me remind you. I’m squished up against a FUCKING ROBOT. Any normal person would be fascinated by such a feat, and be suffocated by curiosity.

"Soooooo, what's your name? I mean, If you have one."

I stretched my arms behind me casually.

"I am project K1B0, but that is a mouthful, so you may call me Kiibo."

“Kiibo huh. That’s kind of a stupid name. You get the once in a lifetime opportunity to name a fully functioning robot, and you name it ‘hope’? Nishishi! Should I feel bad for you or your creator?

“Noted.”

 _‘Noted’?_  For a state of the art technology, you’d think that it would take some offense at least.

“So why are you even here? You’ a government spy? You here to, I don’t know, gather information on the worlds worst criminal?”

I pointed my thumbs to myself with a mischievous grin. He looked me up and down in confusion.

”You don’t look like the world’s worst criminal to me.”

“Just answer my-“

He cut me off.

”Are you a compulsive liar?”

”Wait, what?”

He barely gave me a second to breathe.

”You’re a compulsive liar. Meaning you-“

”Yeah, yeah, I know what a compulsive liar is. I was joking about me being a criminal. Gosh, you need to lighten up.“ 

”Joking?”

I was exasperated at this point.

”YES. Jo-king. You get that through your thick metal skull?”

”I see. My apologies...?”

I snickered. It’s always interesting to make fun of someone. Especially when that ‘someone’ is someTHING. The pavement was coated in a thin layer of water. It’s reflection distorting every time I took a step. It reflected a rather ugly angle anyways, so I’m not complaining.

”Hey, hey, hey! Do robots have dicks?”

”Wh-what?”

He asked me, wide eyed in shock. For once, his reaction seemed to be linked to his face. I guess he’s not so stupid after all.

”WHat?! Why would you ask me that?”

”Tch. Obviously it’s because -“

”Nevermind, I don’t want to know.”

I jabbed a finger at his shoulder. It hurt me probably more than it hurt him.

”You look human, you sound human, but you’re not. But surely, you would have a dick right? I mean, you _are_  modeled after a human.”

He showed a face of disgust. Surprisingly, the first real emotion that graced his perfect robot face.

“I don’t have the need for reproduction. Obviously I wouldn’t, and this is a stupid question to ask. Such features are absolutely unnecessary.”

I opened my mouth to push him forward but he stopped me.

”I’m done talking.”

He also seemed to be done walking as well, seeing that he stopped to rest his hand on the gate of his fence.

”This your house?”

The perimeter was lined in a black, metal fence that went as high as your torso. It had a large yard with several tall trees and leafy bushes. Lush flowers rested in rows of plotted soil, boxed in wooden garden crates. With the heavy fog settled on the grass, it really looked like a rainforest. Kind of. The house itself was completely different from average Japanese houses. It looked like one long rectangle lying on one side. The roof tiles were grey, tinted with a blue hue. And most of all. It was huge. Japanese standards of course.

”Yes. My creator’s.”

”Is your creator American?”

He blinked at me in surprise.

”Yes... How did you know?”

I shrugged and smiled.

”That’s not a common Japanese house you got there. Has a very foreigner feel. Though I didn’t know you would build an entirely new house to live here.”

”My father likes familiar environments.”

”Father, huh?”

He ignored my comment and turned the handle, slipping to the other side of the gate... but I caught the tip of the umbrella between my hands and started reeling him back towards me. His eyes narrowed.

”I’ll be taking that! I still have a looong way to go, and you’re already at your house, so you don’t need it.”

I rested my elbows on the cold, wet metal rim of fencing. 

“Surely, that’s alright with you Kiibo.” 

He didn’t respond so I slipped my fingers around the handle and pryed it away from his gloves hands. Our fingers overlapped momentarily. Kiibo gave a curt nod before hastily running towards the door of his house, hands raised above his head to shield from rain. I turned and left. I didn’t glance back because I knew he was already gone. Soon, my silhouette faded as well. Billions of strands of water shot like bullets From the clouds, only to disappear into the puddles with a ripple. The sky waged war with the earth. It was a downpour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got no proofreading I die like a man


	2. A Snitch, a Slap, and a Tuesday Nap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The students lounged around the classroom, waiting for the first class of the day to start. Some of them leaned and sat on desks, chatting to one another. Others, were furiously scribbling in their workbooks, copying off of their friend’s homework, racing to finish before the bell. And then there was Kiibo. The odd one out in the classroom. Just standing there trying his best to look natural. Unfortunately, standing still in one spot for an extended period of time doesn’t seem to be normal among his peers. He soon learned that he was singled out from the moment he stepped foot in the school.
> 
> Tuesday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stayed up till 4 finishing this for two nights y’all better read everything. Including notes and summary.

Fascinating. The robot shows up the very next day in class. On time and in uniform. I could tell it wasn’t trying to draw attention, but seeing that it was one of the few people actually IN uniform, (other than me, Gonta, kind of Kaito, Shirogane, and Kaede) , it ended up accomplishing the exact opposite of his goal. Male uniforms were black, long sleeve jackets with a collar that protruded a tiny bit more than necessary and black dress pants. The female counterpart was a dark navy, or white, long sleeve schoolgirl shirt with the red ribbon and all, paired with a dark pleated skirt. Uniforms were not mandatory, so most of the time, people just what what they wanted. Within reason of course. Oh, why am I wearing the uniform? Obviously it’s because I respect the school so much! I’ll condone to any rule it offers! (Just kidding, it’s because I have nothing else to wear. Not that I don’t have clothes or anything, but my fashion sense would look cheap and plain compared to the others. After a while of the robot just standing there, my classmates started dropping off conversations and averting their eyes.  It wasn’t long before the students caught on, noticing everything that I already did. Slowly, people started staring at it, some of us even went up to _talk_  to it. Of course, me being me, I listened in on everything. Their conversations were limited to;

‘What’s your name?’

‘You’re a robot?’

‘Nice to meet you, my name is...’

And of course, the slut of the class asks the robot all sorts of creepy questions and proceeds to touch it in... places. Luckily, it was saved by the bell, marking the start of class. A symphony of screeching chairs and shuffling feet erupted in the room as the students scurried to take their seats. Feeling out of place, Kiibo steps to the side of the classroom, patiently waiting. With a slide of the door, Sensei Taro walks in right on chime with his usual loud and energetic voice. Hey, I’ll let you in on a secret. Nobody likes him. No surprise there, seeing that he’s as annoying Hell. He has a weak sense of justice, completely oblivious, rude, singles out students, _picks on_ students, and borderline bi-polar. I personally find him to be quite entertaining as long as I’m not in the center of his antics, and today, I’m going to love him because I _know_  he’ll embarrass the new student: Kiibo.

He walked up to the faded wooden podium, straightening his papers and pretending to look important.

”Okay! Students, today we have- Ey! Could you two shut it back there? Geez. Anyways, today we have a new ‘student’”

He air quotationed,

“who will be joining us for the rest of your school lives.” 

He beckoned for the robot to come up to the front, center of the class.

”Go ahead and introduce yourself.”

At first, I thought it looked shy, but that was soon taken over by its confident strides and high held head. An inhumanly smooth voice slipped from its lips.

”Good morning, everyone. I am project K1-B0. However, you may call me ‘Kiibo’ if you like. I am an artificial intelligence created by Professor Iidabashi. I am able to grow, develop, and learn just like you. I was designed to imitate, interact, and integrate into human life. I understand that some of you may be uncomfortable, or uneasy in my presence. However, I ask that you pay me no mind and treat me the same you would as if I were human.”

I scoffed. Was it reading off a script? Each word he spoke was carefully calibrated and delivered for maximum effect. Calculated, precise, and flawless. Except for one flaw, no human talks like the queen of England.

“I look forward to meeting all of you and becoming apart of the school.”

It finished with a gentle bow and stepped aside for Taro-Sensei to continue.

”Well, you heard him. No discrimination, no making fun of him for his weird eyes, or anything.”

He gave it a little nudge to the elbow and chuckled to himself. It just stood stiffly by our teacher, smiling to the best of its abilities. Uncomfortable, it seemed. 

“You can take whatever available seat you like, but I’d prefer if you stuck to it.”

”Thank you, Taro-Sensei.”

Our classroom had a total of 20 desks, despite only having 16 students. Desks were placed in rows and columns of five, half the desks were parted down the middle for a walkway. It was efficient, prim, and tidy. I sat on the right half. Second column, third row. Kiibo sat fourth column, second row, of the right half. PERFECT! You know what this means. He sits the PERFECT distance and angle for me to throw things at him. I’d make sure to change it up every few days. I’ll do paper airplanes, paper balls, spit balls, stolen erasers, paper clips, the rocks in my shoe... I snickered to myself. I would torment him for all he’s worth. I smiled at the thought of him finally breaking that calm composure. Everyone has a line, and I cross every line, every time. The sound of zippers un zipping and buckles un clasping melted together to form the reminder that I had yet to do my homework.

” _Shit!”_ I whispered out loud. 

One of my hands bent down to pull out my (undid) homework and pen, the other tapped Kirumi on the shoulder. That unlucky woman sat on the left side of me since school started, and had no way to take that mistake back. 

“Mom. Psst, mom.”

Here eyes darted to look at me without moving her head, which still faced the board loyally. She stifled a sigh.

”Please stop calling me that.”

I stuck my open palm at her beneath her desk.

”Homework.”

She rolled her eyes.

”How many times have I told you?”

She quietly slid her papers over to me for the 5th time this month, each time claiming to be the last. Yet thankfully it never was. She was an awfully mature person with a patient soul, the type of people I tolerate. I’d totally ask her to join my secret organization if she would agree. On the other hand the bitch to my right has probably murdered 90 people by the age of 12. Maki Harukawa. No sense of humor, no emotions, and no tolerance for me. I don’t hate her, no, but I _do_  love to provoke her. One time she even choked me because I kept spreading rumors about her being an Assassin. Luckily, I passed out and she got a week’s suspension. Maki-Chan can’t keep her hands off me I guess! Haha! I caught her angry glares and returned it with a wink. She seems to hate everything I do, whether it be copying homework or just breathing. Our teacher was slowly making his way down the walkway, each step he took was a moment closer to uncertain death. The truth is, he never really checks if the work is correct or not, he’s just checking to see if you’ve finished or not. Every other student had their papers laid out on their desks revealing pages and pages of ink. Hell, even Kiibo had it finished, _and he wasn’t even here for that lesson._ Last question come on... I copied word for word of what was written on Kirumi’s paper. He just finished checking the left side and made his way over. Papers were snatched from beneath my arm.

”Hey! I wasn’t finished!” I hissed

She gave me an apologetic glance, but said nothing. I eyed Maki’s papers instead, but she made an effort to cover the answers I needed. In a hurry, I wrote random words and numbers in hopes that Taro-Sensei would only run a quick glance before moving on. I put my pencil down, happy with the first half of slim shady in place of the essay on how light travels and warps through space. Easy peasy. I leaned back casually and picked at the edge of the smooth, light colored wood of my desk. The surface was littered in graphite doodles... He looked down my aisle...He kept walking, only nodding. I bit my bottom lip and fist pumped silently once his back was turned.

”Wow, I’m surprised that everyone actually did their homework. Good job I guess. Anyways, we’ll be expanding on our previous lesson about li-“

He was interrupted by a gloved hand that shot into the air.

”Kiibo, if this is about last lesson, you can save it ‘till the end of class.”

”Actually, this is about that boy copying homework off of Kirumi-San, who willingly aided him.”

”What?! Which boy?”

”The one to the right of Kirumi.” 

Taro-Sensei stormed towards our row.

All eyes were on me. That snitching little bot. When did he catch me? Does the dude had eyes on the back of his head? The worst part is that it’s actually a possible feature for him. Not a problem for me though. Such measly attempts were nothing against me, the great Ouma Kokichi. I raised my hands in surrender.

”Woah woah, hey! Don’t go around accusing people on your first day, buddy! What proof do you have?” 

A seamless act. I sounded genuinely shocked and offended. As I do everytime of course.

“I have a witness, Maki-San.”

She looked startled having her name mentioned in this mess. Taro turned to her.

”Well?”

A faint smile tugged at my lips. I knew I had already won. If she admitted, she would get Kirumi in trouble as well, and I know she wouldn’t do that. If there’s one respectable thing about her, it’s that she never snitched. None of her business? None of her say. Her lips were sealed.

”...Copying?... No, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She decided firmly.

”Are you sure? The fifth rule in your student handbook is no copying and no cheating! I’ll ask you again Maki.” He pulled out a handbook and pointed to the rule, glowing on the screen.

Taro-Sensei’s eyes narrowed. He would have sounded menacing if his voice wasn’t so ridiculous. Let’s be honest, he sounds like if Mickey Mouse had sex with Ronald McDonald and had a love child. That’s mailnly why nobody truly takes him seriously.

”I wasnt even paying attention, so I wouldn’t know.” She lied through her grit teeth. 

The expression on Kiibo’s face was _priceless._ He was baffled at the fact that Maki would lie for ME. Well, for Tojo, but even Kiibo could tell that she hated me. His eyes widened and his mouth gaped open a little bit. No, _its_ mouth. That thing’s not a person.

”But-but Sensei, she’s lying, I saw it with my own eyes! I-“

”Yeah, Yeah. Sure.” He waved dismissively.

The air rippled with gentle, knowing chuckles. ‘Oh, typical Ouma and his lies’ kind of knowing. But Kiibo probably thought they were laughing at him. I pressed my knuckles to my lips and let out a wisp of air— a giggle— and basked in the tender moment of class bonding. Except for Kiibo. Glaring daggers at me. I shrugged.

”Hey, don’t worry about it Kiiboy, everyone makes mistakes.” 

The class rolled with damp laughter once again. Even the teacher was grinning. Hey, I’m an ass, but we’re a class. Except for Kiibo, of course. He doesn’t know _me_  yet. And from the look on his face, flushed with misplaced humiliation, he didn’t _want_  to know me. Oh I knew he was angry. I could practically SEE steam coming out of his ears. And to fuel it all, I blew a kiss at him. The laughter continued. Once again, my class knew It was just light hearted teasing. But guess who didn’t know? He whipped his head forward to face the board and started making a strange whirring sound, resembling a printer. What is he doing? Wait did he jus- _what the fuck_? That tin can pulled a PHOTO from his GODDAMN MOUTH. Anyone who saw him had their mouths gaping wide and brows furrowed. If he’s a walking printer heprobably had free WiFi as well. Kiibo put it between his fingers and waved it in the air. S. N. I. T. C. H.

”Now, back to the lesson. Last time we learned that light-“

“Sensei! I have proof!”

”What is it this time?”

_Shit._   _Really? REALLY?_

 Really. It was a high resolution photograph of Tojo handing me her papers under her desk. Still, not a tough hurdle for me, and certainly not a challenge for the mother of the class. Surprised? Tojo could actually put on a strong front when she needs to. And she’s much more trustworthy. I looked at her with begging eyes and hands in prayer. She sighed.

”Ouma, Kirumi. This is against the rules!  How how will I punish you? Week in detention? Lines? Hang you by your ankles? It’s a really serious violation against this prestigious school you know.”

”Actually, Taro-Sensei, if you would allow me to explain. Ouma was not copying my work, I lended my papers to him so he could double check his work. There’s no rule against peer checking to my knowledge.”

Sensei sighed in disappointment.

”Alright, I’ll let it slide this time, we’ve wasted 15 minuets already. God just let me teach for once.”

I smiled at mom and she softened her eyes. We both knew we wouldn’t be so lucky next time.

”Sensei, I have recorded footage and I can project-“

”Ok. Kiibo. I know this is hard to understand, but I don’t care. Now as I was saying. Light.”

If steam could come out of Kiibo’s headphone shaped ears, it would have.

 

___________________

 

During lunch break, the class had gathered around Kaede’s locker to congratulate her on recently winning a piano competition. 100 teenage contestants were chosen out of 100 countries. Only the best of the best could attend. We had been anticipating the results for a week now, and of course Kaede won. She always did. Hell, some of the upperclassmen even came to congratulate her. 

“Ha! It’s no surprise our Kaede won! Those other sluts would have been fuckin’ high if they thought they stood a chance!”

“We never had any doubts, Kaede.” Amami smiled.

”Gonta saw recordings of your performances! Gonta is very impressed!”

Shuuichi handed her a small bouquet of flowers, and then was showered by dozens of hugs from everyone, and praise came a dozen more. I folded my arms behind my back.

“What’s so cool about winning some competition? It’s not like she’s special or anything. You guys sure know how to over hype things.” 

Everybody groaned and rolled their eyes until they saw the small package in my hands. I turned my back towards them in mock ignorance and wiggled the package behind my back, waiting for Kaede to take the ribboned gift. Sighs of relief were exchanged.

”Thank you so much every body! For supporting me and... all these gifts too. You really didn’t have to.”

”No, no, we insist.” I snickered.

She opened the baby pink box to reveal four cute, heart shaped milk chocolates.

”I made them myself. Each one has a different flavor too.”

Kaede smiled. 

“Thank you, Ouma!” 

She popped one in her mouth and let the chocolate slowly melt and dissolve on her tongue.

”Nishishi—“ I snickered “No problem. One of them is orange flavored, another one has dried strawberries in it. One of them has a dark center with a blueberry. And the last one has-“

I was interrupted by Kaede’s scream. The chocolate fell out of her mouth and landed between her jumping feet. She lolled her tongue out and started rapidly fanning them with both hands.

”—ghost peppers.”

A chorus of my name was shouted through the hall as Kaede was crying for water. I ran and started laughing like a maniac, calling behind me;

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Guess you’re really unlucky! That was the only one filled with peppers though, I promise!”

(All of them have peppers in them)

Unfortunately, my escape route was blocked by a certain something that I just happened to crash into.  My smile widened.

“Kiibo, there you are! Kaede was just giving a speech about how awesome I am. Right Kaede?”

Still within earshot, Kaede grunted while chugging water. They shook their heads at me. 

The robot looked at me through his glass lenses, a pensive look plastered across his face. 

“What’s wrong Kiibo? Oh. Are you still mad at me? For cheeeatiiiing?” 

If I had blinked, I would had missed the flicker of irritation across his face.

”I don’t understand.”

”What don’t you understand?”

“Everything. Why you cheated. Why Kirumi San had lied for you when she was reluctant to help you. Why the teacher didn’t care. I just don’t understand...”

I took an exaggerated deep breath and exhaled in his face. 

“ _Look_ , Kiibo, I know that these things aren’t exactly _programmed_  in you, but don’t you think you should have learned by now? You told us that you’re able to learn, but I’m starting to really doubt that.”

I took an edge to my voice. And he took complete offense.

”I am a state of the art technology! Im a milestone for humanity’s development! I’m-“

I cut him off. 

“One small step for man, a huge leap forward for mankind? Yeah right.” I bit down a laugh and ‘it’ seemed to notice.

I saw his fists clench and relax where they hung by his sides.

”He was actually misquoted.” He forced the words through his lips, pulled tight in a thin line. “One small step for _a_  man, a-“

”Oh that makes MUCH more sense. I guess that ‘man’ is your creator right? How lonely does a guy have to be to build a CHILD robot.”

“My functions prove to be much more advanced than anything you can do, ...Ouma.”

Uncertainty. I just realized that I had never told him my name,  and he rather just picked up on conversation directed at me. Impressive. For a robot.

”Oh yeah? Then why are you here? New janitor? Hm? Get a move on, the mop’s over there.” I pointed the direction to the custodian’s closet.

“I wouldn’t dream of it, human.”

”If you’re here, why aren’t you making yourself useful? You’re just taking up space.”

He laughed. A mechanical laugh, with hardly a smile at all.

”Ha. You say that as if you actually mean something to the world. I have a purpose on this earth. Unlike you.” He snapped.

The smile faded from my face. So he’s challenging me. It’s not a game anymore. It’s the real deal now.

”Alright, alright.” I nodded with my arms stretched wide. “So you wanna play.”

”What? I-“

”HEY EVERYBODY! COME CHECK OUT THIS NEW GAMING CONSOLE!”

If people weren’t already staring, we certainly got their attention now. Whispers erupted from the hallways, and before long, a loose ring of people started to watch. I sauntered closer to him.

“Shouldn’t your creator be spending time of making robots that actually HELP humanity? I doubt stalling a class with your tattle tale antics counts as ‘a huge leap forward for mankind’. But then again, what do I know?”

”Hey. Don’t bring my father into this. His knowledge is far superior than that of your rubbish, practically nonexistent brain.”

I swung a leg forward, letting it dangle before taking another step towards him. I stretched my arms out behind my back and clasped my hands together, pretending to examine him. I looked him up and down on both of his sides.

”You know, you’ve got quite the handsome face. A refined, body as well.” I began to slowly circle him. ”You know, Kiibo, I’m beginning to think that you really CAN be useful. To one person perhaps.”

I spoke a pitch louder so everyone could hear me. The android made an uncomfortable noise, but otherwise kept to himself.

”Is your  _daddy_ married?”

”That has nothing to do with this.”

”Is your daddy a little lonely some nights?”

”Stop it. I know what you’re getting at and it’s not true.”

I could see Amami weaving through the crowd out the corner of my eye. Oh, look at what a crowd we’ve drawn! A thick ring stuffed with masses of curious bodies now circled us in as if they were expecting a physical fight to break out.

”Does daddy call you down to his room at bedtime?”

”Stop it. Shut up. I won’t allow you to insult my father like that!”

His voice trembled with ire, as did his shaking hands. Now THAT was a look I’d remember. I could practically SEE the white hot anger coursing through his wires and seeping through his skin. It was an upgrade from his usual blank face. A good upgrade.

Smiling, I took a final step forwards, leaning towards him on the balls of my feet. I could feel the air grow hotter, and I could hear the mechanical whir of his engines. Our faces were so close that my breath brushed his bangs. I saw him adjusting his gloves. Amami called out for me. But he was the least of my worries now.

”Is sending you to school his way of an apology for you? Or is it to cope with the guilt of what he does to you in the after hours?”

“SHUT. UP. It’s not true. Where are you even getting this?”

It’s true. I was making a whole lie about him and his dad, but I’m doing such a good job, even I’m convinced. Buy your own con, that’s how you sell it. We both know it’s not true, but why else would someone build a robot that just pretends to be a kid? Is he a toy for the scientist’s son? Whispers started getting louder and louder. And I LOVED the feeling of eyes on me. Being the center of the spotlight. I took both of my hands and shoved him on the shoulders, pushing him back. The circle moved with us.

”What are you going to do? Huh? Fire your rocket puncher at me? Nishishishi.” I mocked, trembling my hands is fake fear

I pushed him again, this time only on one shoulder. His body pivoted on one leg, but he stood his ground. 

“Fire your plasma canons, robo boy!” 

I shoved other shoulder. He stumbled backwards a bit.

”Fire your laser eyes at me, I dare you.“ 

I whistled.

”What’s wrong, too much of a pussy?”

His head was low and he only looked up from his shoes to glare daggers into my eyes. He angrily whispered.

”Why are you doing this?”

My index finger tilted his head up to look at me face to face.

”Oh Kiibaby. I do it because it’s funny to see you angry.” 

His body was trembling now. And poked his chest, _hard,_ to the beat of my words.

”And I do it. Because. I. Can.”

 

 

_Smack_

 

 

The slick sound was loud and the searing white pain on my left cheek burned. I subconsciously stumbled back from the force of the hit. My eyes were still in shock, staring at the crowd by my right shoulder. I slowly brought my hand up to the point of impact, pressing down hard to subdue the pain. When I looked in his eyes, and he looked in mine, I saw fury. For the first time I saw raw emotion in a being. Also it probably would have hurt less if his hand wasn’t coated in leather.

I gave him no time to react at all. My fist collided with his face a millisecond later so hard that I felt all the knuckles in my hand crack. I just hope it hurt him more than it hurt me. The andriod wasted no time at all; grabbed the front of my collar in his fists and jerked my face toward his, slamming our foreheads together. Did he just fracture my skull? I sure hope not. Because my vision started to blur and clouds of grey started to bloom at the edges of my sight. Stars and bright arrays of color danced around my vision. I felt light headed. With what little remaining strength I had, I grappled towards him, gripped his shoulders and kneed him hard in the stomach. If androids had lungs, the air would be knocked straight out of his ass and sent to hell. He doubled over. Feeling satisfied, I let my legs give in to the dizziness, and I closed my eyes. Both our heads hit the floor at virtually the same time. The last thing I registered was the smooth marble tiles dusted with dirt against my cheek. Then there was darkness.

 

—————————————

I doubled over from the impact shock of his knee hitting my torso. My legs dipped and I stumbled back first onto the grimy, polished floor. The back of my head hit the ground ‘painfully’. I can’t feel pain, but I know when it’s there. Clutching my stomach, I looked over at Ouma’s folded form, chest pressed against the floor pinning one of his arms beneath him. I saw Amami finally break free from the tight knit crowd and carry Ouma bridal style,yelling at the people to move aside as if Ouma’s life depended on it. My hat and bag lay forgotten on the ground, scuffed up from a fight. I pushed myself onto my knees, preparing to get up... until I didn’t have to. Out of nowhere, a pair of strong, large hands lifted me by the sides of my chest and planted my around his neck so I sat on his shoulders. He was wearing a white shirt with a blue jacket and blue track pants. He was a HUGE guy, fully ripped.

“WE HAVE A WINNER!” 

He boasted at the top of his lungs so the whole student body could hear him. Cheers erupted from every corner of the hall, chanting my name. It wasn’t a wrestling match or anything, there wasn’t supposed to be a winner.

”W-wait! No, why are you cheering? This wasn’t a competition！Wait!” 

Hey are they passing money to each other? _They made bets?_  In the span of, what, four moves?

”Oh god.” I muttered to myself.

... I just had a fight with someone. On my first day here. Not only that, but I just broke the first law of robotics, meaning that the consequences would be severe. My father is a lenient man, but even he has a line. Which I crossed. Possible repercussions would be 1. A bug fix, taking and adding codes. 2. A program wipe: completely new AI. 3. Memory wipe: brand new life, progress reset, as if nothing happened. 5. Dismantlement: Taken apart and / or deactivated. 6. Destruction.

I shuddered at the thought of my unjust, yet completely plausible death. Surely he wouldn’t deactivate 20 years of work, right? 20 years of building, programming, research, blood, sweat, and tears, and the five more years I’ve spent with him as his son. Surely... surely he wouldn’t. Yet something tells me he would. He’d have to, seeing that I harmed a human being. He would have no choice and neither would I. I shuddered again. I would die. By the hands of my own father.

  

—————————————

 

 Consciousness trickled in like a leak in a dam of darkness. That kind of ‘half conscious’ you get when you wake up but you’re still asleep and you have no control of your mind. I didn’t process that I was conscious, but I could process the sound of a foot tapping nervously—yet patiently,  and the soft bed and pillow moulding to my form. I wrenched myself from the darkness. I’m awake now and I squinted my eyes open, still adjusting to the light. An exhale of relief came to my right. 

“Jesus Christ.” Amami sighed.

His stiff form immediately melted with his sigh and he leaned into the backrest of his chair, slumping over. However, he almost immediately sat forward again. A gentle, but concerned look on his face. The best part about Amami was that he was never mad. Disappointed? Sure. Annoyed? Yeah. But angry? Never. I had never seen the dude lose his cool in my years of knowing him. Cool, calm, and collected. And a total lady killer. His lightly furrowed brows looked over me.

”I’m glad you’re awake.” He said in his velvet voice. Full of genuine emotion.

I tried to sit up, but a head splitting pain erupted from my forehead. The numbing pain of an ice pack just made it worse.

”Amami? What time is it?”

He glanced over at the clock fixated on the wall to check.

”Time to get you home. It’s 2:37 and you sure as hell aren’t going to class.”

It hurt to think.

“Speaking of class, you didn’t skip the rest of the day to sit here right?”

”No I just came about a minuet ago. Right on time I guess.” He chuckled.

I sat up slowly. One hand on the nurse’s bed to support me, the other keeping my ice pack steady.

”I tried telling you to stop, but I guess you didn’t hear me.” He continued.

”Oh I heard you alright, I just didn’t care.” I replied coyly.

He shook his head at me and stood up. The screech of metal legs against tiled floor was an ugly sound to hear.

”The nurse says you might have a minor concussion. Other than that, you’re fine. You have some nasty bruises though. Your cheek has some swelling and your forehead has a huge bruised bump on it.”

_As if I couldn’t feel it myself._

He closed a book I didn’t realize he was reading and extended a hand to me. I took it and he pulled my to the ground.

”You gonna be ok by yourself?”

”I’m fine, gosh you need to chillllll.”

”Well _you_ need to go see the principal. Good luck.”

And with that, he waved and left.

_Shit._

 

_——————————_

 

I was called in halfway through last period. I had kept my mouth shut and tried my best to ignore the stares I was getting from my classmates. Did they fear me? Hate me? My eyes were downcast in shame. I couldn’t meet the Headmaster’s eyes, so I settled for the hands in my lap. I fiddled with the rim of my glove.

”I haven’t seen a school fight break out since seven years ago, Kiibo. And on your _first_  day attending formal classes as well. I had high expectations from you, and I’m extremely disappointed in you.”

His fingers were laced, resting on top of the dark wooden desk of his office. Not a speck of dust present, not a paper out of place. Intimidating, cold. The only dash of color was the framed photograph of him and a young girl, his daughter, smiling at the camera. Everyone has a soft spot I suppose. My possessions had been confiscated for search, and hadn’t been returned yet.

”My apologies, sir.” I read off of the pre-programmed responses in my head. Devoid of emotion. That’s what I need right now.

”Your actions have caused _severe_  damage to a student, and disrupted the peace among your students. This is a highly prestigious school with extremely strict rules for behavioral expectations. Such acts will not go un-punished. Do you understand?”

”Yes, sir.”

“When Ouma arrives, I want you both to explain what happened, and-“

Speak of the devil. He was interrupted by three deep knocks, resonating in the room. The heavy door creaked open and a person popped through.

”Headmaster Kirigiri, you wanted to see me?”

I locked eyes with Ouma, and a number of emotions sprang within me. They consisted of hatred, hatred, hatred, and hatred.

”Oh.” He said disappointedly upon seeing me. 

If he had two brain cells to rub together, he’d consider shutting up and putting on his most polite front. Headmaster Kirigiri gestured to the chair beside me. Black frame, cushioned with red.

”Glad you’re awake, Ouma. Please take a seat.”

He did not sound glad at all, really. 

We eyed each other until he sat down to face the headmaster.

”Good. Now that you’re both here to defend yourselves, I’d like you to explain what happened. I’ve had several witnesses come in, so don’t try to lie.”

I jumped at the chance for justice. 

“Headmaster Kirigiri, Ouma has patronized me and provoked me into the events that happened. He had continued to insult my father and I, despite being repeatedly asked to stop. He wouldn’t listen.”

“Yeah, well he made the first move. The slapped me so hard that my cheek is swollen.”

I clenched my fists in anger. _He_  was playing victim?

”That’s because you wouldn’t stop running your mouth.”

”That’s because you couldn’t take a joke.” 

He exaggerated the syllables on his last word. I opened my mouth to retort, but Headmaster raised a hand to silence us.

”I don’t want you two to have an argument here. Much less a showdown.”

”Yes, Headmaster.” We replied in unison.

He waited a moment before continuing.

”Ouma, your side of the story please. Just the beginning, before the fight.”

I refused to look at him, and he refused to look at me.

”Well, I bumped into Kiibo, and then he started asking me all these stupid questions which could EASILY be solved by logic,—“

I opened my mouth, but a hand was raised in my face.

‘— and then I made a joke about him being a little dumb for a robot. I didn’t mean any harm, I was only doing some light hearted teasing, but then he called my brain a pile of rubbish. It became an insult war,-“

”You were CLEARLY overpowering me.” I raised my voice, but he spoke right on top of my words.

”and then he slapped me. He’s a robot, and I couldn’t even imagine what he had next planned. I fought him out of self defense-“

”I _sLapped_  him, out of _self defense”_ I could feel my voice steadily rising. “Do you think I’d let myself be pushed like that?” 

I yelled at this point. It was my turn to speak.

” _I_ didn’t make the first move. _He_ shoved and pushed me multiple times before I struck. The root problem is this boy’s problematic behavior, and his overly reactive imagination.” I jabbed a finger at Ouma for extra emphasis. “The things he has accused my father of doing not only is a complete LIE, but is also ridiculing, and absolutely DISGUSTING. These acts he’s accused my father of doing is unspeakable. I REPEATEDLY asked him to stop, and he didn’t. When I asked him why he was doing this, he only said that he did it because he thought it was fun.” My voice was trembling. My whole body was trembling. I had enough.

”I, PASSED OUT, KIIBO. If I wasn’t the victim then why would I be out for an entire day and wake up with an ice pack ON MY DAMN HEAD?”

”YOU’RE EVADING THE TRUTH! IF I HAD LUNGS, I WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BREATHE! IF I HAD ORGANS I WOULD HAVE VOMITTED!”

”WELL GOOD THING YOU DON’T HAVE ORGANS, HUH? WOULDN’T WANT TO BE CLEANING UP BOLTS AND SCREWS!”

My chair fell backwards from the force I stood up with. I dragged his collar up with me, and his hands flew for my hair. Our faces inches apart. I would knock him out again if I had to.

”ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU SIT DOWN RIGHT NOW.” Kirigiri slammed his palms into the desk, shaking to ground with force. All three of us were standing now.

I briskly let go of his collar with a shove, and his fingers fell from my head. I picked up my chair And sat back down. Ouma tucked his bangs behind his ear.

”I’ve seen enough. There are two different stories to this incident, both of which are unacceptable. This school has a zero tolerance policy on violence, or violent behavior. To prevent the further disruption to the school, both of you will be asked to leave premises. I’ve already contacted your parents about the news.”

Panic shot through my wires. I could see that same panic mirrored in Ouma as well. Our eyes locked in fear. 

“M-meaning?”

He asked weakly.

”Expulsion. Both of you are dismissed.”

”WHAT?” We yelled at the same time. We both slammed our hands on the table and stood up from shock.

No. No this can’t be happening. If only I hadn’t done anything. If only I endured it. If only I left. If only I hadn’t slapped him.

 

—————————

If only I hadn’t pushed him, if only I had kept my mouth shut. If only I walked away. If only I was smarter. None of this would have happened. This wouldn’t have happened to either of us. I can’t afford to leave. The school fees would have been paid for nothing. My hard work, my studying for the entrance exam, my grades, everything I worked up to; just shattered. And it’s all my fault. What would my parents think? I can hear their dissapointment. Their shock. Their anger. My mom’s tears, my dad’s fury. They worked so hard to pay the fees. I didn’t even win the fight to boot. No. No. No. This can’t be real this can’t be happening. I could tell Kiibo was thinking the exact same things. When we locked eyes, we both understood one thing: We dug our own graves.

—————————

We reap what we sow. I closed my eyes in disbelief. I would die this evening. I was sure of it. One way or another, I would cease to be. 

 

 

A firm firm hand fell on top of my fists. It was Ouma. He squeezed my hand, and stared right through my eyes. His eyebrows tilted downward, and eyes dusted with the threat of tears. He squeezed harder. His bottom lip trembled.

’please’

it was the faintest of whispers. It was barely a whisper, just a ghost of the word, mouthed from his lips. So subtle, I wouldn’t have noticed unless I was staring right at him.

He was begging.

_Oh._

For what? For me to lie? For me to save him from a fate that he deserved? To save him from a sentence that resulted in MY death? To save him from HIS fault? No. Absolutely not. I wouldn’t do it if my life depended on it. I was going to die anyways. I’m going to die knowing that Ouma got what he deserved. He dug a hole deeper than I could fill. There’s nothing I could do anyways. I narrowed my eyes and snatched my hand from his grasp.  His hand hovered in the air above my thigh for a moment, before slowly retracting it. He was embarrassed that he even tried. I stood up and turned to leave. He followed suit shortly after. 

“Your belongings have been searched, and promptly returned to your lockers. Please empty them before leaving.” 

My hand brushed the handle of the door, and then I stopped. My legs and arms were frozen in place. What do I know? Why was Ouma so desperate for my help? Why did he turn to a hopeless thought? Why did he think I would help him? He knew that the sentence was final. But he still looked to me. Ouma was desperate. Did he give something up to attend this school? Did he think I could help him? Did his life depend on it? _Did his life depend on it?_  

My hand fell to my side.

_What if his life depended on it?_  

What happens behind the closed curtains of his home? His attendance means everything to him apparently. What if there’s a reason for his dark eye circles? What if there’s a reason he’s so pale. What if there’s a reason why his body was so skinny. What if that was it? His whole life revolving around this school. His whole life working towards this school. His body taking on the toll of studying every night and skipping meals?  Is that it? His whole life was dedicated to be here. His whole life. His life. 

... My future is inevitable. What if I can save his?

 

I turned around and walked back towards the desk. I glimpsed at him from the corner of my eye. Shock.

 

”Headmaster Kirigiri, I believe I’ve made a mistake. I haven’t been entirely truthful about the events that happened today. Please reconsider after you’ve heard the truth.”

Ouma took a little more time than necessary with the door.

”... You may explain.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now you understand how slow the burn will be. They hate each other. Also I didn’t proof read because I actually feel like sleeping for once. It’s 3:00 am and I have guitar lessons so y’all better comment because Im thirsty for comments. Idc if it sucks or literally just says “fuck you” give me comments goddamnit. (Also I should probably get a beta reader)


	3. Broken Records

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lmao some hints at Kiibo’s past life in here but it’s really subtle and hidden. The title is also a hint of what’s to come. Or what’s NOT to come.
> 
>  
> 
> Also I'm fucking aware of how bad this is but I need sleep and I want comments is fuck jjdbcvjjabdvjjbdfv I making the same mistakes as I did last time jhdbfjhbfdhjsbs I need sleep its 4 am

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all realize that ————— means POV change and ======= means time skip. In previous chapter _____ was time skip but I thought that was too confusing.

My fingers thrummed nervously in my lap, while Headmaster Kirigiri paced around his office. His hand was on his chin, immersed in thought.

“So you’re saying that you are the one who initiated the fight, humiliated him, and the one to make the first physical contact.”

“Yes, that is correct, sir.”

“And why are you choosing to tell me now?”

Oh great. My mind raced for a plausible answer. Luckily, I’m a robot, and that makes things conveniently faster and of course, I lied.

“Currently, my... truth protocol” I mentally cringed at how blatantly fake it sounded, but my face remained devoid of expression. “is activated. As an AI I am required by law to follow the commandments of humans. Your request was that I tell the truth and my core programming must oblige. There is no reason for me to lie, as is there no reason for you to expel the other student.”

“So you’re saying...”

His pacing stopped at the foot of his desk. The headmaster ran a finger along the picture frame almost instinctively. His eyes softened when his eyes met the photograph. His lovely daughter up in his arms, smiling with joy.He really does love his daughter.

“Yes. I take full responsibility for provoking and harming another student. It would be illogical to punish the victim when he had no choice. Correct?”

My fists were clenched in tight knots but were hidden behind the desk. He sat down and laced his fingers together.

“Well, I appreciate that you told the truth, but unfortunately that doesn’t change the fact that you’re expelled.”

“And the other boy?”

“That is not your concern, Kiibo. That is for me, and the rest of the council to decide. Thank you for your time. You are dismissed.”

With a wave of his hand, I was sent sulking down the hall.

I hate this. I really do. The only feelings I’ve felt so far were negative, and that’s not a good thing. My right hand came up to rub my chin pensively. The truth is, I’ve been reset once before, and the only thing I was left with was common knowledge. Memories and experience all wiped away and into my creator's digital trash bin. Probably. Sometimes I feel bad for him. After all, he does only live with me. No wife, no children, no relatives, and not even friends. The only company he has is his co-workers and I. I cook for him, I clean for him, and I look after him daily. He spends almost all of his time in his downstairs lab, in front of blueprints and illuminated screens, which sadly detrimental for his mental and physical health. His hair has already grayed to a point where it’s almost white, despite him being so young. 43 years old. Tech wiz and robotics prodigy as a child I presume as well. Half American, half Japanese, graduated from an extremely prestigious university at age 23 and studied in the robotics department. Currently, he is the leading expert in robotics engineering and even has his own high school of technology. The school which I had previously attended prior to hopes peak. Although I spend a large portion of my time with him, I surprisingly know next to nothing about him. He’s never truly held an in-depth conversation with me. He’s just... jaded. At one point, his smile lines faded to wrinkles and his grins became forced, and I don’t know why. Or even when. If it weren’t for me, he’d forget to eat, drink, and sleep. I know for a fact that he was once happy, but god knows what’s happened to him. That’s all I’ve ever known him as. A sad, work slaved man. And it’ll probably never change. My hand dropped to my side when I came to my locker. Plain and devoid of personalization, not even a lock on it. I never had time. I got kicked on my first day here, and if that wasn’t disappointing enough, I’d be deactivated in the evening. The reality of the situation kicked in like a punch to the gut and I wasn’t prepared for that. A sinking feeling in my chest. A heavy lead ball being dropped in the cold ocean. Alone. It was a hollow feeling. The realization that I would never return here ever again. I wasn’t here for long, but I truly believe that I would come to love this place and all it’s inhabitants had I been given more time.In the span of a day, I had come to like the color of the tiles, and the paintings on the walls, and the trees that hung outside the entrance, and the cool grey of the lockers. My hand began to drag along the rows and rows of locked metal closets, not caring if my gloves would smell like iron afterward. My eyes drifted close as my pace slowed. A gentle and consistent sound, soft and calming, only breaking when the metal dipped to form another door. I took an artificial breath and opened my eyes. It was raining.

———————————

It was raining. Of course, it was. Great. Wonderful. AMAZING. It always was. I sighed and tightened my grip on the umbrella. His umbrella. Another sigh slipped out. How did it come to this? A moment ago, I was in the principal's office. Thirty minutes ago, I woke up in the nurse’s office, an hour ago I had just been knocked out. An hour and fifteen minutes ago, I got in my first fight at school. And why? Because I underestimated Kiibo. Because I put down a state of the art technology, thinking it would be fun. Because it would be an easy way to ease off stress. Just yesterday, I met him under the umbrella. Just yesterday his eyes were dull and blank, but now, when I look at him, he’s just brimming with life. I’m actually pretty thankful that I blacked out. If I had actually damaged him, I would’ve been charged with a fortune. And I’ll be honest with you, I’m pretty damn scared. I mean, I’m never scared, but if he holds grudges, he’d come after me and slit my throat at midnight. He’s probably a lot stronger than he looks too. I bet the dude’s a freak and lifts weights, even though it won’t do shit. I bet he sleeps standing up. Ooh! Ooh! What if he doesn’t sleep and spends the night patrolling the house like a security guard? Creepy. Just imagine hearing 200 pounds of metal going CLANK CLANK CLANK CLANK CLANK when you’re trying to sleep. I mean he doesn’t really sound like that, I but I like to imagine him as an extremely inconvenient mobile Alexa.

I involuntarily shivered through the thin fabric of the school jacket, even though it wasn’t cold. I laughed to myself and gazed upwards the sky. Bright and grey. The sun shining through the thick puffy curtains of humidity, and yet I still couldn’t see our daytime star. Perfect, I hate the sun. It’s too bright. Too hot. I stood outside the exit of the school, resting under the overhang of the building and leaning on the wall. My hand came back soaked when I took it back from the rain. Cool and wet. But what else was expected from rain? Slowly, I extended my arm forward until my hand could touch the droplets of rain rolling off the edge of the overhang. I took another step forward so that part of my forearm was exposed as well. And then, I took a few steps forward again and tilted my head upwards to admire the hiding sun.

 

————————

 

My hand dropped to my side when the lockers ran out from the walls.I blinked slowly, just trying to relax and numb myself from the fact that I would cease to be in mere hours. It’s been 30 minutes since school ended and the halls lacked any trace of human life. My feet stopped at the exit when glass doors lined my vision and I could see the sun peaking through the clouds, reflecting onto my eyes.Soft music seeped through the transparent material and floated to my ears, getting louder as I neared. I recognized spongy notes of a piano, and drums that seemed to reflect rain, paired with a tired, but velvet voice. I don’t listen to music very often. In fact, it seems that this was the first time in almost 4 years. My gaze shifted to the ghost of a shadow, plastered to the dark, damp asphalt, moving along to the beat of the music, its owner is seemingly hidden behind a support beam. A slender, pale hand peaked from behind white cement and receded again. I walked forward slowly, hoping not to disturb the dancing figure. I kept observing the shadow, noticing how carefree and loose it looked. Their movements looked less like dancing, and more like rhythmic swaying. They turned in mellow circles and took long strides in no apparent direction, their weight shifting from one leg to the next. Their arms waved tenderly in the air, gliding up and down the sides of their body. Limbs dangling loosely then pumped with energy again. The quiet steps of rubber soles disturbing the thin sheet of water on the ground was so lenient and peaceful, I found my lids fluttering and my body swaying to the beat. I stopped immediately. But then, when a dark lock of hair peaked to my vision, my heart stopped. It was Ouma. His face spun into view, flushed with heat. His eyes were closed and his features were relaxed, a faint smile hinting at the corner of his mouth. His black school jacket was held in his right hand, swinging with each spin of his toe. He turned and dipped his left leg, and turned again. His right leg traced a circle around himself like a bow compass. It wasn’t “real” dancing, but it had a similar effect. I noticed that his white T-shirt had become translucent and his pants became a shade darker. He must have been here for quite a while, which was strange because I clearly remember him hating the rain. But now, it seemed he was enjoying every drop. His closed eyes faced the sky, his porcelains skin slick with rain, and probably sweat too, and his hair was damp and stiff, bangs tucked behind his ears. If not for the fact that his forehead was bruised and his cheek slightly swelled, he might have looked like someone from a music video. I guess it’s partially my fault. I walked soundlessly out the door and leaned against the wall outside where his bag lay discarded, and his phone on top of it. The source of his tune, quiet, but passionate. Oddly enough, I stayed to watch him. Mesmerizing. I glanced to my side where MY umbrella lay, leaning on an angle. I picked it up silently and twisted it in my hands, in almost a nervous manner. I almost didn’t notice my foot tapping to the beat. For a moment, he looked at immense peace, and disgustingly beautiful. Even with his forehead painted the color of a storm, and his cheeks all unevenly red, he looked beautiful, and that disgusted me. Because a cruel being shouldn’t be allowed to look like a work of art. The longer I looked, the angrier I got. Just hearing his voice would make me mildly annoyed. I was caught off guard when the tune suddenly turned bitter, and stiff. So drastically different from the previous peace that danced around the rain. It had no reason to. It was fine just the way it was, so why did it just dip? It sounded like a broken record, with a broken heart.

 

—————————

 

The last notes of the melody melted away against the sound of the rain. I was hot, and sweating and my chest heaved in deep breaths. My cheeks were probably dyed with random splotches of red, I could never blush evenly. It was annoying at first, but I eventually got used to it.I slowly opened my eyes to be greeted with the swirling clouds above my head. The rain never ceased in these instances. A gentle clapping erupted to the side when the next song started to come on. The PS5 stood next to my stuff, leaning on the wall at an angle. His arms crossed once he finished the short-lived applause.

 

“Oh. You’re here. What ‘cha doing here?”

 

Kiibo started to unstrap his umbrella.

 

“I could ask you the same question. School ended more than half an hour ago.”

 

He said indifferently.

 

“Oh what, I can’t decide to do what the hell I want?’

 

I teased him with a smirk, but he turned away with furrowed brows.

 

“Hey, you’re not angry at me are you Kiibo?”

 

“Angry? Of course, I’m angry with you! You got me expelled!”

 

“And did you get me suspended?” I asked with a hopeful edge to my voice.

 

The robot scoffed and pushed the umbrella open.

 

“That, I don’t know. You could be every bit as expelled as me for all I know.”

 

“Aw, don’t you have like some super robot prediction programs in there?”

 

My heart turned iced cold and dropped down a cliff. My mom would be SOOOOOOOO mad.

 

“No.”

 

“Booooorrrrriiinnngggg! Why don’t you show me something cool for a change?”

 

He rolled his eyes and picked up my bag, along with my phone and held it out to me.

 

“Put on your jacket or else you’ll catch a cold.”

 

I’m wet, and the jacket’s wet so I’d get sick anyways. I huffed, but still shrugged it on anyways, and took my belongings from his hand. The clouds had thickened significantly and turned an opaque hue of grey over the course of two minutes, and A gentle roll of thunder rumbled deeply above our heads like a drum in an orchestra, filling the airy silence we stood in.

 

“Well, we better get going. I have things to do at home.”

 

“Wait, I’m walking home with you?”

 

I got him expelled, I degraded him, and he still wants to walk home with me? This robot’s more stubborn and stupid than I thought! He looked at me as if I were an idiot. Which he shouldn’t, because he’s a robot, and robots shouldn’t be able to do that. He sighed before opening his umbrella to cover both of us.

 

“I know what you’re thinking,no I don’t forgive you, and I don’t think I ever will. My father is going to shut me down because of this.”

 

I chuckled.

 

“Yeah, my mom’s gonna kill me too.”

 

“What?“

 

“It was a joke, jeez you’re so stupid.”

 

He rolled his eyes at me again.

 

“Would you stop doing that? You really have little to no reason to continue to antagonize me for every second you see me! I may be a robot, but I have feelings too you know!”

 

I laughed like a hyena at this remark. Robots aren’t people, who does he think he is? A person? He doesn’t even have a soul to sell.

 

“You? Feelings? HA! You wish! In the end, you’re just tar, glass and metal scraps!”

 

He grit his teeth and clenched his fist tighter around the ‘j’ of the handle.

 

“Alright, look, if you’re just going to be rude, I’ll-“

 

I interrupted, “I was just lying you know! Of course, I know you have feelings.”

 

“...”

 

“Or was THAT a lie? Hmmm, I guess we’ll never know huh? Nishishi!”

 

—————————

 

I am the culmination of all of my creator's research and work.My program was the result of 13 years of dedicated, passionate work, all so I could integrate harmoniously with society. You see, I was designed SPECIFICALLY to know how to deal with humans in almost any situation, but no amount of programming, or codes, or 1s and 0s could prepare me for Ouma. An unpredictable misfit of society, and a childish trouble maker. I’ve known him for a day, and I think I could never get used to his ‘lies’. And if I’ve only scratched the surface of his character, I’m truly terrified of what lies deeper.

 

“Anyways, thanks for letting me use your umbrella, Kiiboy.”

 

“Kiiboy?”

 

“I’m glad you’re not TOTALLY useless. Maybe when I become president of the world, you can be like my housekeeper or something. Oh! And if you get a rocket punch, you can be my bodyguard!”

 

I really tried to fight the tug on my mouth, but it just kept twitching weirdly.

 

“Is this your form of an apology?”

 

“Apology? Ha, please, I don’t apologize.”

 

“So you recognize that you’ve done something wrong?”

 

‘Something wrong’ would be an understatement. His mischievous smile faded, before turning into something more wry, and softer.

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

He stated and laced his hands behind his head.

 

We walked in silence.

 

==================

 

After a while, I decided to break the thin veil.

 

 

“Say, why were you dancing anyway? Didn’t you hate rain? When you walked home yesterday, you didn’t seem quite pleased to be caught in a waterfall.”

 

“Hm? Oh well, not really. There’s a huuuggee difference between being forced to do something and choosing to do it out of free will, you know?”

 

I actually don’t, but I didn’t want him to elaborate. I wouldn’t really understand anyway. I gave him a look.

 

“Ugh, I knew you wouldn’t understand. It’s a—” he looked me up and down and waved his hand towards me as if shooting me away. “—human thing.”

 

“Hey! I try very hard every day to understand human emotions, maybe if you could explain it to me,”

 

The light turned red just as we reached the crosswalk.

 

“Well...” He hesitated for a moment in deep pension before continuing , “It’s like if your mom tells you to do the dishes, you get annoyed, but if you decide to do the dishes by yourself, you feel great, and responsible.”

 

“I... I suppose that makes sense.”

 

A little bit at least.

 

“Like if I DECIDE to step out from the umbrella, I’d be completely fine, because I CHOSE to do that. But, if you were the one to move the umbrella to only cover yourself, I’d be pretty pissed and offended. It’s better to do it yourself .Yeah?”

 

“It’s... slowly starting to make sense...”

 

The light turned green and the light up pictogram of the person lit up. The sound of a bird chirped on the speaker, signifying our turn to cross the street.

 

“In cases like today, it’s just a matter of mood you know. If I didn’t want orange soda yesterday, that doesn’t mean that I won’t want an orange soda today. You got it?”

 

“Yeah, I think I understand now.”

 

I said confidently.I’m quite content with the new things I’ve learned today. A little strip of psychology, and a peer into Ouma’s mind. When we reached my house, I gave him complete ownership of my black umbrella.

 

“Oh, I can have this?”

 

“I won’t be needing it for some time. I think you should keep it for now.”

 

“I dunno man, by the time my suspension’s up, raining season might be over.”

 

“Assuming that you ARE suspended.”

 

He shrugged.

 

“Hey, gotta have hope, if you’re gonna live. Gotta have _Kiibo_. Aah? Aaaah? Get it?

 

“Haha,very punny.” I said in a deadpan voice. ”You still make me angry.”

 

So when he squeezed my hand adieu, I went home, I did all the laundry, cleaned every inch of the house, made my father dinner, set the table,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and repeatedly smashed my head on thecounter.

 

It’s better if I do it myself.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't be a coward I fucking spent a whole Saturday on this and it's almost 4 am and I gave up halfway don't @ me. SO ANYWAYS DINT BE A COWARD JUST COMMENT PLEASE IM THIRSTY FOR PRAISE ON A HALF ASSED JOB. Also, the music Ouma was dancing to was originally going to be one of the following ; lemon boy, talk to me, slow dancing in the dark,
> 
> But I eventually chose ‘Rain On Me’ by Joji.


	4. Initiating Startup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiibo gets the chance to review his memories from his first life. He chooses to forget this time.

Initiating startup... Continue?_

>Y\N_

>Y_

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Review memories?_

 

>Y_

 

 

 

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**I opened my eyes to a blank plane, so blindingly white that it seemed to overload my sensors, and stretched so far over the horizon, that there seemed to be no end. I wondered, 'where am I?'  As if on cue, the ground was pulled from beneath my feet, pulling all of the white with it like a sheet being snagged from a table. The force of it swept me off my feet and I ended up sitting on the 'ground' staring at the ceiling. This plain, once so blindingly white had been newly painted black, and all of a sudden, the only thing I could focus on was the date projected onto the ceiling. I was powerless to watch.**

 

 

 

_January 2nd_

 

“Papa... I don’t want to go back to school... All the kids there don’t like me.”

 

**My vision was blurry, and my eyes were open just a fraction. I could make out the pale figure of a boy aged 6 or 7. His hair was whiter than his already bleached skin, and his wide, round eyes were the palest shade of grey. It appeared that the boy was born with albinism, but otherwise healthy.**

 

”I know Son, but you have to. I don’t want you to go either but education is very important-“

 

”Papa, you don’t understand, I’m different from all the other kids and nobody likes me! I’m always alone and I have no friends.”

 

**The professor, young with brown hair, was crouching in front of the young child to meet him eye to eye.**

 

”Come here, I have something to show you.”

 

**The professor gently led him by the hand to stand in front of me. My vision cleared, and for the first time, I could see. I scanned my surroundings. Brightly lit with blue and white lights, wires connecting my limbs to some sort of computer behind me. Everything was familiar but so foreign at the same time. My limbs were shorter, I was smaller... _I was a child._ I looked at the boy. **

_Facial recognition__: Tetsuya Iidabashi_

 

**_Who?_ **

 

“Project K1-B0, input name.” The professor commanded, and then looked to his son. ”Well? Go on, name him something.”

 

”I don’t want to.”

 

”Why not?

 

”Because I don’t want to.”

 

**The professor looked him deeply in the eye and took both his son’s hands in his.**

”Tetsuya, I know that daddy has been busy lately, so I figured you might be lonely and have nobody to talk to. But, with this robot, now you don’t have to be.  He’s going to be your new friend and brother. He’s not so different than you, see?”

 

**If he meant appearance-wise, then I could understand. I had the same white hair, and ashy, pale, almost grey skin. Obviously, he designed me to look as similar to the boy as possible. Perhaps to make him feel more accepted?**

 

”But he’s a robot dad. He can't replace you, he's not real.”

 

”As far as we know, none of us could be real.”

 

When the boy didn’t answer, his father continued.

 

”Hey, I’ll give you some time to think about his name alright? You don’t have to decide today, but I hope that you’ll accept him as a new member of the household. Come upstairs when you’re ready, okay?”

 

**With that, we were alone. Tetsuya eyed me up and down with a closeted expression. Hesitantly, he opened his mouth.**

 

”Hello?”

 

**I responded with a smooth and childlike voice. A voice I almost recognized but seemed like a distant memory.**

 

” _Hello, Tetsuya.”_

 

“How do you know my name?”

 

” _I have your face and information downloaded into my database.”_

 

“Who are you?”

 

” _I am project K1-B0. I don’t have a name yet, would you like to give me one_?”

 

**Tetsuya didn’t respond, so I moved on.**

 

” _I’m an AI capable of learning and developing, just like any other child. However, I am equipped with 400 stories to tell you, and 200 different songs. I hope that I can be your friend.”_

 

**That's strange, I don't have stories OR songs downloaded in my database.**

 

The boy stared long and hard at 'me'. His face shifted through dozens of expressions. Surprise, confusion, curiosity, anger, and then childlike cruelty.

 

"You think I look stupid right? Or weird? Well, you look even weirder, so you're not allowed to make fun of me." 

 

**The boy continued.**

 

"My dad wants you to be my friend because everyone hates me, but you're not a person, so I don't want to be friends with you."

 

**His words stung, even though he was just a child. A boy who saw too much bullying in his life, a boy who was made fun of too often. An insecure child who just wanted the tables to turn for once. Tetsuya wasn't a child filled with malice, but a child filled with sadness. That's who he truly was. It didn't take long before I started to pity him. I knew how hard It was to- ... To fit in?**

 

**Something was wrong. There are missing files in my memory bank. I remember not fitting in, but where? Why? It irritated me to no end. Who am -**

**He kicked me. I didn’t feel anything, but he started wailing in pain. The professor was immediately bounding down the stairs to see what was wrong.**

”Tetsuya! What happened, what’s wrong? Did he hurt you? Did he say something mean?”

 

He shook his head with tears in his eyes.

 

”No- *hic* I-I-I- kicked h-him”

 

The professor's face immediately released of tension. He tried to hold back a laugh.

 

”Now why would you do that?”

 

 

**And so it dawned on me. I was both shocked and horrified because what I'm seeing now is my previous life. The life I'd lost so long ago. And I had a human brother.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be a long summary of Kiib life and then back tot he dututre whooo


	6. Faceless Names, Nameless Faces

The first thing that came to me was sound. In fact, it was the only thing that came to me. I couldn’t see, speak, and I was powerless to move. I know where I am. I’m in my kitchen on the floor on underneath the counter. My head is smashed in, damaging, and thus disabling all my senses, except for my hearing. I heard frantic running footsteps getting closer and closer. My name was being called over and over again, getting louder and louder. Someone was shaking me.

 

”Kiibo! Kiibo what happened? Kiibo?-“

 

Suddenly, as if he finally understood what happened, he let out a scream and let me drop to the floor. His hands muffled the rest of the sounds that followed. He was crying. Wailing in agony, and it pained me _so_  much to witness him like this. My calm, composed creator, in a mess with weak knees and a heavy heart. _...what have I done? Why did I do that?_ I found myself asking. To see his life’s work being destroyed, I’d be pretty sad too. The possibility that I was going to be deactivated... was only a possibility, no? I felt a sting in my heart if I had one. No words could describe how angry I was at myself. An idiotic thought. 

 

“Not like this, please, not again...”, The professor whimpered.

 

_Again? What does he mean by that?_

 

My limp, almost lifeless body was lifted from the ground in straining arms and heavy breath; it was clear to me that the weight of my complicated machinery was taking a toll on the aging man’s bones. I felt my head bounce with each step he descended to the basement, pausing every so often when I was slipping to hoist me back into his arms.

 

”Just hang in there Kiibo, I’ll fix this- I’ll fix you- I can do it, I-“

 

His voice was broken and ragged, laced with a sharp inhale every so often from crying.

I was helpless in this situation, but every part of me wanted to reach out and reassure him. I felt my consciousness slipping as I fell into a black screen state.

 

_____________________________

 

 

 I’m sure you’ve heard of me. Ouma Kokichi? Ring a bell? Yeah, that’s me. The kid who almost ruined his life by picking a fight with the wrong person... weeellll, not a REAL person. So I guess that doesn’t count. ‘S been like two years now since that accident, and I’m STILL known for that. Ugh! Talk about a bad rep. Basically, I never thought I’d be seeing that THING again. Honestly, I kind of hoped that he would be gone for good. After all, he was pretty annoying with all those weird questions. So you can imagine the surprise and shock I got when I saw him walking to the office. I haven’t been sleeping well recently, so I didn’t pay much mind to it. My eyes must have been fooling me. Friday’s are the best because that means I get to slack off at home once school is finished, but what makes TODAY even more special, is that I get to slack off even MORE than usual _at school!_  Today, we’re supposed to go on an educational field trip to a farm to ‘see for ourselves where our food comes from’ and ‘understand and connect with the source’. It’s kind of stupid, but it’s also really easy to think about nothing.

“Why the long face everyone?” I walked into class with a smile on my face, greeted with eye rolls.

Needless to say, not everyone was happy to be going to ‘connect with the source’. Many of them failed to see the point (like me) and some of them would rather be ACTUALLY learning something, especially since final exams are coming up soon.

 Taro sensei, our teacher for the last two years, straightened his papers on his desk, signaling that class was about to start. Our usually cocky and short-tempered teacher acted a little different today. His face was damp with a small amount of sweat and his fingers seemed to be restless. He was obviously waiting to tell us something, and probably something unsettling at that.

”As you kids know, today is our class field trip. We will be learning about how lucky we are to have food available for us, and where it all comes from. On a side note... we have a... surprise student joining our class today. Kiibo, would you come and introduce yourself?”

It didn’t take long for faces of realization to bloom on people’s faces. Sweat dotted my face. How is this possible? I- He should be dead! Gone! Deactivated, disassembled! I bit my nail in confusion.  _Damnit. I'm gonna get jumped today probably._ After all, I probably ruined the life that he didn't have to begin with.

"Thank you, Taro Sensei. I am project 'K1-B0', however, you may call me Kiibo. I am an artificial intelligence created by Professor Iidabashi. I am able to grow, develop, and learn just like you. I was designed to imitate, interact, and integrate into human life. I may have the appearance of a robot, but I am a high school student just like you. From one high school student to another, I hope we can all get along."

 I scowled. Almost the exact same words from before.

______________________________

 

I knew where the councilor's office was, all the washrooms, the office, and yet I didn't know where the exits were, where my classroom was, or where the stairs were. I was left with bits and pieces of my memories, all dangling from my mind in loose threads. Names without faces and faces without names. Other than those small things, I knew pretty much nothing. It was a bit distressing, to say the least, but nothing I couldn't handle. Regardless, I was excited to start my 'first' day of high school (again). When I stepped into the classroom, overwhelming senses of emotion came with it. I didn't know why, or where they came from, but I did have strong emotions attached. Some of the faces matched with the ones in my database so I could assume that they were my previous classmates. My eyes scan the familiar room for any lost memories. A clock at the back, student council voting posters scattered on the corkboard on the left, windows on the right, and finally it hits me. A deep wave of nausea (well, 'nausea') hits me. A short and skinny boy with dark hair and purple eyes. I've seen him in my database. I've never been able to explain the distressing feeling I got when I went over his files. He had no name in my mind, yet I felt a rainbow of emotions. Pain, hatred, irritation, shock, but most of all, a very strong connection. No other face had aroused such strong feelings. And most of them were negative. Who is he? What happened? His face was pulled in a sour expression. Clearly, he wasn't too pleased to see me. A past rival perhaps? An ex-lover? As silly as it may sound, it's always been a dream of mine to find romance in my life. It would have been a shame if it ended with my death. Though it's highly unlikely I had a previous relationship, seeing that I'm neither experienced, nor prepared for that type of dynamic. 

"Thank you Kiibo. Please take a seat. Everyone, I hope you all welcome him into our class."

He seemed like he was going to say more, but he stopped himself. Unfortunately, nobody waved their hands at me or smiled as I walked past. They all just stared in disbelief. Which is fine, because I'm not surprised. It's not every day that you get to see a state of the art invention of a famous scientist, much less have one join your class! I let out a huff of pride knowing that they were in awe of such an impressive AI! Not many seating options were available so my choices were limited, but I made my best effort to sit as far away as I could from that boy... Which happened to be rather close to him, unfortunately. Taro Sensei had sent an E-mail to my creator beforehand informing me about the field trip today, but it seems nobody is too eager to go. Was it canceled last minute? I gently tapped the shoulder of the girl in front of me. She had strikingly blonde hair and her eyes were a delicate shade of magenta. She had a kind face and a warm smile.

"Excuse me," I began. "Is the field trip still today?"

She turned around to look at me, and for a moment she looked as if she couldn't believe her eyes. I smiled to help ease her mood.

"Yeah, it is! I'm not sure if you can come though. Since you came just today I doubt you can go home and get your field trip form signed right now."

I sighed in relief. I was about to thank her until an unwanted voice interrupted me.

"Of course he has time! He can just whiz home on his jet packs in a blast! Like in those animes, right, Kiibo?"

There it was again. A pang of heat rippled over me again. It wasn't anger, but certainly something similar. And then I felt a small sting of disappointment. At last, I settled on annoyance.  Luckily, while I was figuring out my emotions, the girl answered for me.

 "Ouma! Can't you just lay off him for once? You've already caused enough trouble, and you  _know_ he doesn't have them."

His name ringed in my head. It was just so familiar. Ouma... Ouma Kokichi...? A mischevious boy and known for being a trouble maker. He used to... He used to what? It bothered me to no end that I couldn't remember the past. Especially when the memories are so close yet out of grasp. The pretty girl turned to look at me again with an exasperated look.

"Don't worry about him. He's started to tease everyone a lot more, so I wouldn't take it seriously."

I nodded in agreement.

"Oh, and by the way, my name is Kaede Akamatsu. You probably don't remember me from all those years ago, but we don't blame you. It was quite a long time ago."

I nodded again. "Oh, of course, Kaede. How could I forget?" I lied. But nonetheless, I shook her hand. 

"It's nice to see you again, Kaede."

Ouma shot us a side-eye and pursed his lips in a smile that showed he was up to no good.

 

"QUIET DOWN BACK THERE! WE'RE LEAVING NOW!"

 

Taro Sensei shoved his papers in his briefcase and stood by the door waiting for us to go out.

"Hurry up! Get a move on! We're gonna be late!" He shouted.

This time, as I stood up, all of my classmates swarmed towards me.

"Hey, welcome back, Kiibo!"

"Dang, I never thought I'd see your here again."

"It's a pleasure to have you back."

"I'm Miu! Miu Iruma? Remember me?"

"Don't worry! We'll make sure nobody picks on you again!"

All of their greetings slushed together, so it was hard processing them. Somehow, I managed to thank all of them and board the bus.

 

 

 

Halfway through the ride, I realized something. Nobody knew that I had forgotten everything. Most of them didn't re-introduce themselves, and some even mentioned some past events in small talk. An idea popped in my head. If I kept this a secret, I could probably find out more about what happened than if I told everybody. Whenever I tried to ask about Ouma, people would just automatically assume what I was going to ask.

"Don't worry about him. He won't be bothering you anymore."

"Nya ha ha! I see you haven't forgotten your grudge! Atua says that holding grudges is unhealthy. Let us forget the past and move on! Right?"

"Yeah... I'm sorry about what happened. I'm apologizing on his behalf."

"He SUCKS, we KNOW. Ugh, That fuckface fetus should have been aborted."

Are just some of the answers I've received when I started a sentence with 'Ouma' in it. It seemed that they all assumed I knew what they were talking about, or they themselves would rather not talk about it. For what I've gathered, it seems that I've had some sort of incident with Ouma in the past, resulting with me being the victim somehow.

"Gonta know he is not nice boy! But Gonta think if you give him another chance, Ouma might not be as bad as you think!"

To which everyone sighed.

It seems like nobody quite likes him except for maybe one or two other people. Since my arrival, I've been informed that Ouma has a rather loud mouth, but it seems that he's extra quiet today. I peered my head into the aisle of seats to try and see where he sat. His head was propped up against the window. His breath frosted the glass and his head was vibrating violently with the bus. I almost smiled at how funny it was. His friend, being very considerate, gently moved his head from the shaking window to his shoulder, so that Ouma had a soft and stable place to rest his head. Somehow, I felt a bit flustered seeing such a tender act, especially to someone like Ouma. I had a short fantasy of doing that with someone I love in the future, but I quickly brushed that thought away. That's for another time. Plus, it's not uncommon to see such actions in Japan. Compared to Japan, America is pretty touch starved. Here, it's supposed to be a regular thing. 

I watched as the city faded away into the blue sky and green trees, and the concrete highway transforms into a dirt-paved road. Many of the students started waking up from their naps around this time, but there was one student that never slept through the whole trip. An abnormally short male sat beside me and was peering out the window wistfully. I was unsure whether to refer to him as a 'man' or a 'boy' because he seemed to fit all of those descriptions. 

"Hey, My name's Kiibo. What was your name again?"

He made a sound of interest and tugged his hat downwards. 

"I'm Hoshi. Hoshi Ryoma. I'm not surprised you don't remember me, I don't stand out much. Other than my height, of course."

He had a surprisingly deep voice, which was unexpected, but I wasn't surprised either. "Ah, yes, I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. I'm used to it by now."

It seemed rude to continue to ask about his height, so I just let him be. He doesn't seem to talk much and seems a bit stoic for someone our age. Assuming he is our age, that is. 

Soon, the spurring of the engine sputtered to a stop, signifying that we were here. Sleepy mumbling and rustling bags woke the remaining students up from their nap.

 "Alright, kids! We're here! Gather up your things and get off! Form a single file line and whatever you do, DON'T GO OFF BY YOURSELF! ALWAYS STICK WITH THE GROUP."

The way Taro Sensei dressed seemed almost funny, which is rude, but true. Though I couldn't blame him. He was wearing a  _very_ bright yellow t-shirt to attract attention, and a small, tall flag sprung up from his backpack, much like those tourist group leaders. I couldn't help but smile. One by one, we stepped off the bus and headed towards the farmlands. 

_*skff skfff skff skff skFF SKFF SKFFFFF SKFFFF*_

The cacophonic sound was getting closer and closer.

* _ **SKFF SKFFFF SKFFFF SKFFF SKFF***_

Large clouds of dust started drifting towards my ankles. I turned around to face, none other than Ouma Kokichi, dragging his feet purposefully across the dirt road to kick up large clouds of dust. He clasped a firm hand on my shoulder and smiled at me.

"What do you want, Ouma."

"Nishishi! Why would you assume I want something from you, Kiiboy?"

 'Kiiboy'. That word triggered a memory. 

_“I’m glad you’re not TOTALLY useless. Maybe when I become president of the world, you can be like my housekeeper or something. Oh! And if you get a rocket punch, you can be my bodyguard!”_

The blurry scene came to view. I was under a black umbrella, squished against Ouma who grinned at me. Is it possible that we were friends? It's too early to decide, I don't have enough information. I shook myself back to the present.

"Anyways. You're not here to... I don't know, get revenge? Right?"

I looked him over and answered honestly.

"No, I'm not going to do anything to you."

"WHEW! You had me scared there! Well, anyways, we ended on good terms, so there would be no reason to beat me up in an alleyway and kidnap me and then dismember me and dump my body parts in the ocean right?"

"WHAT?! I would never do such a thing! I'm not violent!"

"Eh?"

Ouma cocked his head and put a finger to his lip before laughing.

"Ok! Whatever you say!" 

He skipped off to join the rest of the students. Likewise, I followed.

 

 

 

We were given a tour of the farm, introduced to the different crops and how they are grown. We were also shown the process of harvesting and processing. We even had some time to see the chickens laying eggs. It was a fairly large farm with a variety of things grown, but mostly, it was wheat, and Japan's staple food, rice. Personally, I found the whole tour extremely interesting. I love Japanese culture, and especially Japanese food. Most people would laugh at this because I cannot eat or consume anything or drink. However, I love looking at food. Japanese food looks the most aesthetically pleasing to me. It's simple and basic, and it probably tastes very good too! Surely, one day I will be able to experience the joys of cuisine! Over the course of the field trip, I actually made a couple of friends and learned many of my classmate's names without asking. I felt such deep joy from something so simple, but I'm just so happy to finally be accepted into-

"Hey everyone, where is Ouma? Gonta asked, cutting off my thought.

"Who cares? That degenerate male is probably up to no good anyways!"

"No," Amami interrupted. "that's exactly why we need to find him. If he's up to his usual antics, we should probably do everyone a favor."

"Yes, I'm afraid he _does_ have a tendency to run off by himself, we can't let him cause trouble in a public place like this." Kirumi added.

"I understand why you're worried but isn't this kind of thing normal for him?" Shuichi said.

Soon, everyone was debating whether or not to pause the tour and search for him, or wait until after. 

"By the time we start searching it might be too late!"

"He'll be fine, this isn't the first time."

"Who care's if the lying brat's gone! Isn't that better?"

"He might be vandalizing something! or stealing eggs!"

It seemed that everyone's opinions were split down the middle. And I? Well, I was wasn't overwhelmed, just unsure of what to do. Both sides have a point I suppose. Eventually, Taro Sensei had to step in. 

"Alright, you bastards! Stop arguing! We're wasting time! This is my class, my rules! Every one of you will continue the trip! We will find Kokichi after the trip is done!"

The poor farmer didn't understand what was going on, or who Ouma was, but it was clear that he was starting to regret accepting the school board's trip. The class calmed down with some reluctance but continued on its way. However, this didn't sit right with me. Losing a child in the middle of a foreign place was both unsafe and unprofessional. The risks weren't that high, but there is still a chance that he might be in trouble. After much thought, I decided to go against everything that I was told. I'm going to get a head start.

 


End file.
